Spring-wheel.



W. T. DULANY, J11.

- SPRING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1911. I 1,029, 1 77. v Patented June 11, 1.912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

'l'o all whom it may concern;

irarn'r *iricE..,

WILLIAM r. DULANY, an, or ARLINGTON, NEW JERSEY...

SPRING-WHEEL.

wearer,

Specification of Letters Eatent.

. Application filed June 29, 1911. Serial No. 636,0?7.

Be it known that I, WILL'IAM T. DULANY, JP. a citizen of the United States, residing at Arlington, in the couiny of Hudson and fitute of New Jersey, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Spring- The present invention comprehends certain'new and useful improvements in vethe following is a specihicle wheels, and the object of the inven; tion 18 to provide a wheel having improved spring spokes which afford a. maximum resiliency off-structure so as to. absorb the shocks incident to travel and avoid the use *of the customary'pneumatic tire.

Another object of the invention is to provide spring spokes which are s1mple,,durable and'inexpensive in construction and which are detachaloly connected to the hub "and the rim in a particularly efficient manner.

With these and-other ohjects'in view, as

I will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the\ invention consists of certain constructions, arrangements and combinaline 2 2 of Fig.1, and Fig. 3 is a detail View of one of the spokes detached. Fig.

4- is an enlargedperspective View of the hub showing the parts in juxtaposition; Fig, 5 isa longitudinal section of the hub;

- and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the rim.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawing by the same reference chai acters.

My improved wheel comprises a hub 1, a rim 2, and a series of spring spokes 3 which are similarly curved in the plane of the wheel so as to face in the same circular direction, the spokes being rigidly secured to the hub and being pivotally connected to the rim. As all of thespokes are substantial duplicates only one of the same will he specifically described. The spoke is l of the spoke.

ing surface on the inner side of the inidde 10o formed from a bar of steel or other suitable-7Q metal which is douhled uponitself at' an intermediate point, to provide areturn bend and co-acting leaves-o and 6,5 the leaf fi be ing somewhat shorter than the leaf-5 In proximity to the return-bend =the"1eaf"'5 is ogll'set laterally,-as indicated at -7-', and be tween this offset and the bend the leaves hre' spaced apart transversely Ito constitutejf'a frame-like head 8 that is prcferably'sli-ghtlyw wedge-shape as shown. Beyond the head" the leaves are similarly =-curvedfand -ithe shorter leaf 6 lies snugly againSt'iind-grad-Q: ually merges into the concave r-f-ac'e not the leaf 5. The head 8 projectslaterally; -0Ii;the opposite side of the spoke fro-m theleaflfi and the offset 7 forms an abruptshoulde which faces in the CllIGClZlOD :OfiZ'thGgIQDgiEh At its ext remityi the,=;leafj55', is returned upon itself on, its convex -face to provide a transversely extendingtuhular. hearing sleeve 9. c; I

In order to connect thespokes to the hub a an annular series of spoke socketsl0 areu formed in and open outwardly; through'the periphery of the relativelylarge middlepor- 1 tion ll of the hub, and xarefpreferablyj. i slightly tapered to confoi'mj't thecontour' of the heads 8 and to enzihlethehads t d he fitted snuglyjherein with wedgingiactiionlf The sockets open outwa'rdlv]v through both" side faces of themiddle hii lllas sho At the juncture of each reducedeeii of the hub with the middle port-1o thesp'oke heads 8 into the *s'odkets fr outer side of-the wheel. However, the beai portion is of somewhat greater diameter than the other bearing surface and projects beyond the bottom walls of the sockets to provide shoulders 15 at the inner ends of the: sockets to limit the lateral movement of the spokes toward the inner side of; the wheel. Collars 13 of truncated conical form. are

slipped over the reduced ends of'the hub and seated onthe respective bearing surfaces; i said collars being formed zit/their,larger. 110 ends with outstanding circumferential spoke 7 flanges 14 abutting, againstthe' adjacent side 7. V while the collars 13 are clamped on the bearing'surfaces 12. Each of the bolts also bears -"gralwith theinneredges of inwardly proacting side flanges 19 of the rim. A bolt faces of the middle portion ot the hub and closing the open ends of, the' spoke sockets.

These spoke 'fianges roject outwardly bet yond' the periphery 0 the middle portion of the hub and are formed opposite each spoke socket with a pair of transversely registerin'g apertures 16 for the reception of a trans- ,'verse tie bolt 17. ,By tightening the bolts 17 1- the spoke flanges are drawn together and held firmly against the. middle portion 11,

against the convex face of the adjacent spoke, and s suitably positioned to abut against the offset 7, in, order to retain the .head of the spoke against withdrawal from the socket; a

' The'outer'end ofeach spoke is interposed between'a pair of transversely spaced ears 18 which are extended from and areninte- 20 isi-secured between the ears and passed through the tubular sleeve 9, whereby to establish a pivotal connection. between the spoke and the rim. The advantage of-such -1' pivotal connections is that they afford slight I play between'the' parts to enablethe spokes {to-accommodate themselves to the rim atall The rim is also formed at one side edge with plane of the adjacent inwardly projecting flange 19 and which bears against one side during the-operationrof the wheel.

sin-outstanding" flange 21 which lies in the of 'a-cushion tire 22 encircling the periphery of the rim. A clamping ring 23 lies agamst the other side of the tire to confine the same in" place,

said clamping ring being separate from the rim and being detachably secured when occasion requires.

by boltsor like fastening devices 24.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be apparent that the spring spokes will yield freely under pressure to absorb the shocks incident to travel and thus prevent any undue jolting of the occupants of the vehicle, without the necessity of employing the usual neumatic tire that has been found so objectionable in practice. The leaf 6 which lies against the concave face of the leaf 5, adds materially to the'htrength and durability of the spoke. Furthermore, as thealeaf 6 merges gradually into the leaf 5 and terminates considerably short of the outer end of the spoke the elasticity of the outer portion of the spoke is increased. It

her and size of the spokes may be varied in different wheels, in proportion to the maximum load which they are intended to carry. Attention is also directed to the-fact that in case one of the spokes becomes broken or otherwise injured, it may be easily and quickly removed and replaced by a new spoke, by merely manipulating two bolts, that/is, one at each end of the spoke.

hat I claim is z I 1. In a wheel, a hub having a plurality of radial sockets, a rim,'a plurality of spring spokes each formed with a pair of coacting leaves lying bend connecting the leaves at one end of the spoke, one of said leaves being offset from the other leaf to provide a head for engaging respectively in the sockets and to likewise provide a lateral shoulder atthe inner end of the head," clamp members extending through said huband engaging said shoulder, and meanr -ifor connecting said spokes at their outer ends to said rim,

2. As a new article of manufacture, a spring spoke for vehicle a pair of co-acting leaves lying against each other, and a return-bend connectlng the leaves at one end of the spoke, one of said leaves being ofiset away from the-other at a point spaced apart from but in prornmity to the bend, to provide a head at the said end of the spoke.

in presence of two witnesses.

- WILLIAM T. DULANY, JR. in. s]-

WVitnesses: V k v 4 JOHN CAiz-nrsnn Lounon,

JOHN F. OPDYCKE.

will be understood, of course, that. the num- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature against each other and a return wheels, including 

